by G. K. Parks
“No,” he pressed his lips together in a grim smile, “are you?”
“What? How can you ask me that?” She held up her hand. “He cut off my fucking finger.”
“Was it your idea to steal the protocols? Or did Alpha approach you?”
“You’re insane.” She stepped to the side, but he blocked her path, keeping his gun trained on her.
“How did it happen?” Mercer asked.
“Jules,” Bastian called from the next room, “the signal’s back, but it’s coming from inside the house.” He walked into the kitchen to find Julian holding Sarina at gunpoint. He took a step back, automatically reaching for his holstered weapon. “What’s going on?”
“He’s crazy. He’s spouting out crazy accusations. Help me,” Sarina implored. She raised her hands and backed against the counter. “Please, Bastian.”
“Are you daft?” Bastian asked. “We rescued Sarina, remember? She’s the victim.”
“Check her phone. I believe that’s the signal you’re tracking.” Mercer nudged the phone toward Bastian, never taking his eyes off Sarina.
The commotion in the kitchen drew the attention of everyone else inside the house, and soon the kitchen was crowded.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Logan exclaimed. Before he could step between Mercer’s gun and Sarina, Donovan grabbed Logan from behind, pulling him away from his wife.
“Tell him,” Mercer warned, “or I will.”
“You’re a psychopath,” she insisted. She looked beseechingly at the other members of Mercer’s team. “You can’t let him get away with this. Please, help me.”
“What’s this ruckus about?” Hans asked.
Bastian scrolled through the data on the screen and handed the phone to Hans. Hans read through the information, looking up with hatred. He slammed the phone down.
“Jorgen Black,” Hans said, “how did it happen?”
“Sarina, what’s going on?” Logan asked. He continued to struggle against Donovan’s grip, but his efforts had significantly decreased. “What are they talking about?”
“Tell him,” Mercer repeated. “You owe him that much.”
“I owe him nothing,” she spat. “He wanted nothing more than a trophy wife. Give it five years, and he’d be cashing me in for a newer model. It’s just like this house and everything else. It’s all for show. None of it is real.” She glared at Logan. “Not even our marriage.”
“What?” Logan blinked, processing her words.
“I should have had you pegged from the moment we met. You were just like the guys I’d spent the last three years with. You were driven by work and the prestige and glory that came with a lot of money. You were using me as a status symbol, and I used you for a paycheck.” She glanced around for a way out but didn’t find one.
“That’s not true.” Logan shook his head for emphasis.
“It is, and you know it.” She shifted to the right, and Mercer moved to block her path again.
“I’d do anything for you. When you were taken, my world came crashing down,” Logan said.
“How long did it take before you noticed I was gone?” Her words were cold. “Don’t lie to me.” She blinked and bit her lip.
“Sarina,” Mercer said, interrupting the lover’s spat, “the truth.”
She swallowed. “I used to bring Logan lunch, but he was too wrapped up in work to even come down to the lobby to see me. I became friendly with one of the guards. He was nice. He enjoyed seeing me every day.”
“I never neglected you,” Logan insisted.
“Jorgen Black?” Bastian asked, continuing to read through the coded e-mails.
Sarina closed her mouth and glared at them.
“Answer the question,” Mercer ordered, his aim never wavering.
“Yes.”
“Did you screw him?” Logan asked, more concerned with his marriage than what was unfolding.
“Why do you care?” she asked. “It’s not like you ever bothered to touch me.” Her expression was angry and hurt, but Logan looked like he’d just been punched in the gut.
“Black proposed that you get revenge on your husband by helping him steal the protocols,” Bastian said. He copied the relevant data off Jorgen’s phone and placed it on the counter. Picking up Sarina’s phone, he realized it had been cloned by Black in order for the kidnappers to have access to the home security system, surveillance feed, car service schedule, and other private information that only the Porters possessed.
“He said someone approached him, and they needed my help to pull it off. He said it was the project that Logan had been working on for the past year.” She wiped at a wayward tear. “That was around the time you stopped paying attention to me. I guess I wasn’t the new shiny toy in your life anymore.”
“Baby,” Logan said, but a sharp look from Mercer forced him to shut up.
“You weren’t taken,” Mercer said. “You went willingly.”
“It was the worst decision of my life.” She trembled. “At first, it was fine. Jorgen’s friend had a hideout. We were safe. No one bothered us, but then,” she glared at Julian, “you showed up. You wanted proof of life.” She looked at her hand. “I didn’t agree to this, but Jorgen didn’t care. He had used me worse than this asshole,” she gave her husband another dirty look, “but they insisted the payday would make it all worthwhile. I’d be able to afford whatever life I wanted. The misery would be worth it in the end. I chose to believe that.” Taking a deep breath, she added, “They told me to get close to you, Julian. That you would tell me where the protocols were. You had no reason not to trust me.” She gulped down some air. “Except Alpha killed Jorgen. And I knew that I was next.” She licked her lips. “I told Alpha that you’d given me the location of the protocols and that I’d lead him to them. We went out to the exit tunnel, and I grabbed your gun and shot him. Then I went back inside. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“You wanted the payout,” Mercer said. “You thought I possessed the data.”
“Jules,” Bastian said, watching Mercer’s finger tense slightly on the trigger, “put the gun down.”
“How could you do this?” Logan asked. “How could you be this unhappy and not tell me? How could you destroy us? Destroy yourself?” He shook his head. “Even now, you said you’d run away with me. That we could start over. Start fresh. Did you mean any of that?”
“Obviously not,” Mercer muttered before Sarina could reply.
“Jules,” Bastian said again, “killing her won’t change things.” He put his hand on top of Mercer’s gun and forcibly lowered the weapon.
“There is no Zed,” Mercer said. “She’s Zed.” He gave his team a look. “Do what you like. I’m done.”
“What are you going to do to me?” Sarina asked.
Donovan released Logan, but the man didn’t make a move toward his wife. He took a seat at the counter and picked up her phone, reading through the correspondence. They were difficult to decipher, but once he broke the code, he saw the extent of their planning and conniving.
“You lying bitch,” Logan said. “I loved you. I gave you everything. You could have come to me. We could have worked it out.” His love had shifted to sheer hatred. “You’re the psychopath. This is crazy.” Picking up the phone, he dialed the police. “You put me through hell. I’m glad things weren’t so easy for you.” He sneered and stormed out of the room.
“Looks like you did this to yourself, love,” Bastian said. “It’s a shame. That man really did love you.” He caught sight of Julian’s clenched fists. “And that other man literally put his life on the line to save yours. It’s a shame you weren’t worth a damn.”
Forty-five
“I’m sorry for the trouble,” Logan said. “Had I known, I wouldn’t have wasted your time or mine.” He had been cold since his wife’s arrest. He extended his hand to Julian. “I am in your debt. Take care of yourself.”
Mercer nodded and climbed into the car, watching Logan slam the front door
behind him. “He’s lying.”
“You showed him who his wife is,” Bastian said. “He owes you for that. That bird was off her rocker.”
“He would have preferred not knowing.” Mercer turned the key in the ignition and pulled away. “He thought he had the perfect life. Because of us, he’ll never have that again.”
“I beg to differ, but that’s on him.” Bastian cocked his head to the side and studied Mercer. “You did save her, Jules. Alpha would have killed her.”
Mercer let out a mirthless laugh. “She put herself in danger. She shot Alpha. I didn’t do anything.”
“You gave her the tools necessary to escape.”
“And I got a bullet through my side for the trouble. It wasn’t worth it.” He glanced in the rearview mirror, but the police cars had left hours earlier. “She got off easy.”
“Would you have shot her?” Bastian asked.
Mercer didn’t answer. He was lost in his thoughts. Had he not confronted Sarina or turned on her cell phone, she and Logan would have taken their fake identities and disappeared. They might have reconciled. They might have rediscovered what initially drew them together, but Mercer interfered. His actions took away that possibility.
“No, she wasn’t armed. It wouldn’t have been sporting,” Mercer finally said.
“So what’s the problem?” Bastian asked. “I can tell something is bothering you.”
“Do you think Michelle felt neglected?” Mercer asked. His wife would go months on end without seeing or hearing from him. Their time together never seemed long enough, and before he’d leave, she always seemed so miserable.
“She loved you. You made her happy.”
“I made her miserable.” Mercer inhaled. “If I had been there…” He clenched his jaw. They’d gone over this many times, mostly late at night when he was hammered. “Forget it.”
“We will get justice for her,” Bastian said. “One of these days, we’ll find that lead.” He clapped Mercer on the shoulder. “It’s a shame the Logans and Sarinas in this world don’t know how good they have it.”
“Aye,” Mercer replied.
* * *
“Zed’s in custody,” Browne said, extending his hand to Mercer who made no move to reciprocate the gesture. “Without your help, we wouldn’t have realized Mr. Black had breached our system, but rest assured that the protocols are being reworked in order to ensure that the operating system will not be compromised again.”
“Lovely,” Bastian retorted.
“Can I ask if she told you why she did it?” Browne inquired.
“Does it matter?” Mercer asked. He was tired of reliving these facts. They had turned over the information to the police, answered additional questions about the staged kidnapping and murder, and had provided statements to the embassy officials as well. Trila’s questions were of no consequence. “It’s over.”
“But you swore that you’d protect her. That must take a toll,” Browne said, continuing to wheedle. “Why do it? Why not settle down with a steadier gig and call it quits?”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Bastian said. He looked to the commander for approval, glancing around to make sure that no police officers were lingering outside the station.
“I have my reasons,” Mercer said. He shut his eyes and inhaled. “I’ll meet you at the car.” Turning around, he walked away, knowing Bastian intended to even the score before their departure.
Five minutes later, Bastian joined him inside the vehicle. He didn’t share what happened, but Mercer already knew. Instead, Bastian said, “At least we know their computer systems are secure, so we don’t have to worry about World War III just yet.”
“Brilliant.”
“Hans and Donovan are meeting us at the airport,” Bastian said, checking the time. Confused by the direction they were currently traveling, he asked, “Where are we going?”
“To drop off documents for Mr. Porter.”
“He doesn’t need them anymore. Isn’t he planning to stay?”
“He can change his mind.” Mercer glanced at his friend. “He might need a fresh start.”
“It’s not that simple. His life is here. She was his reason to go.”
“She might still be.” Mercer snorted. “Did you hear her begging him for forgiveness? The cold steel walls of a prison cell really changed her tune.”
“Maybe she was sincere.” Bastian studied his bruised knuckles. “You’re afraid that if he stays, he’ll forgive her in order to get back a piece of what he lost.”
“It’s what she destroyed.” Mercer swallowed. “It’s what we destroyed when I made her confess. It’s the appearance of the perfect life that he wants.” He parked in front of the house and stepped out of the car. “This could be just as perfect.” He held up the envelope. “It’s an option that I won’t take from him.”
Dropping the envelope on the front step, Mercer rang the bell and returned to the car, not waiting for Logan to open the front door. It was about time their client received a delivery that wouldn’t flip his world upside down. This time, it might just flip it right side up.
“Bloody hell, you’ve lost your edge, mate,” Bastian said. “How many painkillers did you take this morning?”
“Not enough.” Mercer pulled down the drive, nodding to the men at the guard post before turning toward the airport. “Maybe we could use a short holiday to regroup.”
“Now I know for certain you aren’t sober enough to drive. Stop the car.”
“Shut it,” Mercer barked.
“And you’re back.” Bastian smiled. “So where do you plan on taking holiday?”
Mercer thought for a moment, wanting to use their recent discovery concerning the Austrian diplomat as leverage to make his own gains on his wife’s murder. He shrugged, trying to play it cool. “Austria, perhaps.”
“Hans already leveraged the information on Alpha with Interpol to have investigators reopen Michelle’s file. They have reviewed it before, but it doesn’t hurt to encourage them to give it another go,” Bastian said. “We could take some time to work through the new information while you mend.”
“Like I said, holiday,” Mercer replied. Since his wife’s murder, he’d been incapable of resting or relaxing, but going over the information again and searching for something the investigators missed was as close as he could get.
“Here we go again,” Bastian muttered. He cleared his throat, hoping to get off the morbid topic before Mercer returned to his normal, tormented self. “What gave Sarina away?”
“First, it was the knife. It was back. She said it was in a drawer, like it had been hidden. Then I noticed her purse. It was the single item that Logan couldn’t recall seeing. At first, I thought she had taken it with her, but she didn’t have it at the embassy. So where did it come from?”
“Where did it come from?” Bastian asked, confused by Julian’s line of thought.
“I’m not sure. It had to be in the house.”
“But we searched the house.”
“It was intentionally stashed somewhere, so Logan wouldn’t find it,” Mercer said. “It just took a moment of clarity for me to realize her involvement.” He shrugged. “It’s probably on account of the damn painkillers.”
“Sure,” Bastian said sarcastically, “that must be it.”
Mercer glared at him, and they remained silent for the rest of the ride. Upon arrival at the airport, Mercer wiped the inside of the car for fingerprints, a habit he’d picked up awhile ago; then they grabbed their bags from the trunk and met Hans and Donovan at the gate.
“We’re taking a holiday,” Bastian said.
“Glad to know you realized we deserve one,” Hans said. “Any particular destination in mind?”
“Somewhere far away from here,” Mercer said, feeling the familiar pang of loneliness that accompanied a completed mission because he didn’t have a home to return to. “I might need your help.”
“Always,” Donovan said. “Can it be somewhere tropical th
at has topless beaches?”
“Here, here,” Hans said, and Bastian grinned.
“Fine,” Mercer agreed, “we could use a break.”
Note from the Author:
The next Julian Mercer novel will be released in 2017. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive the latest information on upcoming releases, sales, free promotions, and more.
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Julian first appeared in the Alexis Parker novel, Racing Through Darkness.
No matter how far or fast I run, some things are inescapable. My past is one of them. After everything that happened, I thought I was done. Then Nick called, and all hell broke loose.
Alexis Parker has been a lot of things, from a federal agent to a corporate security analyst. After finally admitting that working with law enforcement would lead to an untimely death, she hung up her holster, but corporate work is tedious and mind-numbingly boring. The federal agent instinct is just too deeply ingrained, and now it's her only possible saving grace.
While away at a business conference, Alex receives word that Detective Nick O'Connell was shot and his niece was kidnapped. Racing back to the life she thought she escaped, Alex finds herself tossed into a sea of vigilante justice. Since the police department is unaware of the current circumstances and time is running out, the rules of the game have dramatically changed. The kidnappers demand two million dollars and expect payment in forty-eight hours. Clearly, that's not an option, and Alex is forced to creatively color outside the lines.
As she investigates, she discovers that three seven year olds were abducted, but only one of the girls has been returned safely. Forced to work with a questionable ex-SAS operative whose business card now reads K&R specialist, Alex must fight off her own demons and come to terms with who she is and exactly what she's capable of doing. There are no holds barred when it comes to rescuing innocent children, but after some lines are crossed, the damage can never be undone.
